UCI's acceptance of Lance Armstrong donation 'could lead to suggestions of lack of impartiality', claims WADA

The acceptance of donations from athletes by sporting bodies has been
questioned by the World Anti-Doping Agency after the International Cycling
Union admitted this week that Lance Armstrong gave them more than $125,000.

Pat McQuaid, the president of the UCI, said at a press conference this week that it may have been a mistake to take the money from Armstrong but did not rule out accepting similar donations from its biggest stars in the future.

This is a highly unusual policy from a governing body and could call into question the integrity of officials if an athlete later becomes the centre of a disciplinary procedure.

"There is nothing in the [WADA] code, nor the standards, prohibiting a signatory from accepting donations towards its anti-doping program from one of its own current athletes," said David Howman, the director general of WADA.

"Why a signatory would accept any donation from a current athlete is really the question, particularly if it is not disclosed to the world. Such acceptance has the potential to seriously compromise the integrity of the signatory and obviously lead to suggestions of a lack of impartiality with regards to the athlete concerned.

"WADA certainly does not recommend donations of this sort, however if they are to be made and accepted then they ought immediately to be globally disclosed so that all other athletes and the world at large are aware."

The UCI released documents earlier this week stating Armstrong handed over $125,000 in two donations to help the fight against doping. Floyd Landis, one of his former team-mates, testified to the United States Anti-Doping Agency that this was hush money from Armstrong to cover up a failed dope test at the 2001 Tour of Switzerland.

McQuaid described the allegation as "absolute rubbish" on Monday and has issued writs against Landis and journalist Paul Kimmage for making the allegation.

The management committee of the UCI will meet on Friday and the subject of donations and how to declare them is likely to be discussed.

At the moment each professional team pays £120,000 annually and the professional continental teams between £60-80,000 to help fund the UCI’s anti-doping programme which has a budget of around £5m.

"We are not an agency or organisation that has unlimited funds," said McQuaid. "We are not Fifa with billions in the bank. We spend all our money on the development of the sport and when we can get sources of funding we will do so.

"It would have been best if we had not done it [taken the donation] but if we do it in the future it will be done in different way. If any riders came to UCI now and wanted to contribute to the development of the sport or anti-doping or training programmes then the UCI would accept that money. But we would accept it differently and announce it differently than before."